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No. 552,101. Patented D's-0.31 1895.

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l I V UNITED STATES PATENT; @rricn.

\VILLIAM C. CLARKE, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND SUPPLYING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,101, dated December31, 1895.

Application filed August 24, 1895. Serial No. 560,383. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, W LLIAM C. CLARKE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, in the county and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forGenerating and Supplying Illuminating-Gas, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus of limited capacity usedin supplying gas in small local plants, as in country houses, and ismore especiallyintended to be used in connection with the production ofgas by means of metallic carbides, such as calcium carbide, which, as iswell known, upon being brought in contact with water is decomposed,together with the water, giving as the result of decomposition acetylenegas. A considerable amount of residue of decomposition in the shape ofwet lime remains and has to be periodically removed from the generator,and the object of my improvements is to provide an apparatus in whichthis can be done and a fresh charge of carbide inserted withoutinterrupting the flow of gas to the burners, and which shall beeconomical in construction and simple in its mode of operation. To thisend I provide a series of expansible gasholders, each of which isconnected with the delivery gas-pipe leading to the burners. The numberand size of these is determined by the length of time it is desired theapparatus shall run without recharging.

The gas is generated directly in the holders, each holder being providedfor this purpose with an opening in the top thereof, having a removablecover which is tightly sealed when in place on the opening. To thiscover is attached a vessel or chamber for containing the carbide to beemployed, which when the cover is in place projects downward into theholder, and, when the holder is not raised by gas-pressure, into thewater with which the lower part of the holder is filled.

Each holder of the series is so weighted that the gas from it will bedelivered from it to the main gas-pipe under a pressure different fromthat under which the gas from any other holder of the series will bedelivered, and a pressure-regulator is interposed between the series ofholders and the burners, so that the pressure of gas at the burners willbe uniform. By means of this difference in the pressure upon thedifferent holders the gas is not fed to the delivery-pipe from all theholders simultaneously, but from each separately, that holder which isunder the greatest weight being first emptied, then that which is nextlower in the series in point of weight, and so on until all the holdersare emptied. \Vhen one or more of the holders have delivered theirsupply of gas they may be cut off from the delivery-pipe by cocksprovided for the purpose and the residue of decomposition removed andfresh charges of carbide inserted without interfering with the deliveryof gas from those still in operation, while at the same time the gaswill always be delivered to the burners under a uniform pressure.

The invention will be readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawing, which shows a vertical elevation of 'a series ofholders, one of which is in section to show its internal construction.

A A A indicate the external shells of the gas-holders, within which arethe bells or holders proper B B B. The shells A A A are kept filled withWater to such a level that when the holders B B 13 contain no gas theirtops will rest on the surface of the water, or nearly so. From a pointwithin each of the holders B B B and above the surface of the water apipe 0, in which is a cook or valve V, leads to the main supply-pipe D,leading to the burners. In the top of each of the holders B B B is anopening E, closed with a cover F, which is supplied with a liquid sealG,of water, glycerine, or other suitable liquid. The weight of the coverF and the depth of the liquid seal are such that the seal will not bebroken when the holder is raised by the pressure of the gas within it.To the cover F is removably attached a vessel or chamber I-I, adapted toreceive the carbide to be used. The vessel H, when the cover F is inplace, projects downward into the holder and is, with the carbide,wholly or partially immersed in the water within the holder when theholder is down. The sides of vessel H are perforated, so that when it isin place the water in the holder can come in contact with its contents.

The holders A A A are so arranged that the gas in each is subjected to adifferent pressure from that in any other holder of the series. This maybe done by making the holders themselves of different weights or byapplying a different weight, as V \V W, to each of the holders, as shownin the drawing, or by subjecting the several holders to differentpressures in. other ways that will readily occur to those skilled in theart, so that while the gas in one of the holders is subjected to apressure of, say, two inches that in the next will be subjected to aless pressure, as an inch and three quarters, and the third to apressure still lower, as an inch and a half, and so on throughout theseries.

A pressure-regulator R in the main delivery-pipe D regulates thepressure of the gas as delivered at the burners.

In using the apparatus the several holders are first charged with gas byplacing in position the covers F, having attached thereto the vesselscontaining carbide, upon contact of which with the water the gas isdeveloped. The holders being thus all charged with gas, when gas isconsumed at the burners it will not be drawn from all the holders,though all are open to the delivery-pipe, but only from that which issubjected to the greatest pressure, the others remaining inactive untilits supply of gas is exhausted. When the gas has all been drawn fromthat holder which is subjected to the greatest pressure, that which isnext in the series in point of pressure will begin to deliver itscharge, and so on with all of the holders in succession until all areempty. WVhen the gas in one or more of the holders is exhausted, suchholders may be cut off from the main delivery-pipe by means of thevalves V, so as to prevent a backflow of gas from the holders still inoperation, and by removing the covers F and Withdrawing the residue ofdecomposition and inserting fresh charges of carbide such holders areagain charged With gas and ready for operation. It will be evident thatthe operation of recharging the spent holders will not interfere withthe delivery of gas from the holder in operation at the time, thedelivery of gas to the burners being continuous.

In case of an accidental overcharge of carbide to any one of the holdersin recharging, the excess of gas developed over the capacity of suchholder will be taken up by the partlyemptied holder in operation at thetime, and thus an excess of pressure is prevented.

In effect the series of holders constitute a sectional holder, thecapacity of which is the combined capacity of the series, and eachsection of which receives its gas independently of the others anddelivers its gas only when those sections in which the gas is undergreater pressure are exhausted.

I do not claim herein the means described for effecting the generationof gas within the holder, as I have made this the subject of anotherapplication for Letters Patent, filed March 21, 1895, Serial No.542,585.

WVhat I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a series of expansible gas holders independentlyconnected to a common delivery pipe and so arranged that the gas fromeach holder is delivered into such pipe under a pressure different fromthat under which the gas from any other holder of the series isdelivered, a pressure regulator in the delivery pipe, and means forgenerating gas in such holders, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

2. The combination of a series of expansible gas holders independentlyconnected to a common delivery pipe, a pressure regulator in such pipe,and means whereby the gas from each of such holders is delivered to saidpipe under a pressure different from that under which the gas from anyother holder of the series is delivered, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

- 3. The combination of a series of expansible gas holders independentlyconnected to a common delivery pipe and means whereby the gas from eachof said holders is caused to be delivered to said pipe under a differentpressure and at a different time from the gas from any other holder ofthe series, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2d day ofAugust, A. D. 1895.

\VM. 0. CLARKE.

Witnesses:

E. A. OLENDORF, CLARKsoN A. COLLINs.

